The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1887-03-09
The Work of the 4Oth Con-
gfess.

SFeSSs
More bills were introduced in
both Houses, there were more com.
mittee reports, more bills passed,
more became laws and more were
vetoed than ever before. Most oi
these measures were of comparative
unimportance, such as bills granting
private pensions and special relief,
authorizing the erection of BRIDGES,
granting right of way and like. but
many, not only of the bills and re-
ports presented, but of the laws en-
acted, were of general interest and
importance. A number of the bills
enacted into laws were old and fa-
miliar claimants for legislative favor.
In this category belong the Presiden-
tial Succession bill, the Electoral
Count bill, the Interstate Commerce
bill and the bill for the relief of
Fitz-John Porter.
The Forty-ninth Congress COM
menced its sessions on the 4th of
December 1885 and was in session
until the 9Th of August, when it ad-
journed until, December 9th and con
tinued in session until its close to-
DAY, covering a total period of ten
months and twsnty-six days. OF
this time the Senate sat in session
224 days and the House PSI days.
There were introduced in the House
during this time II ,258 bills ana 263
joint resolutions, on which over
5000 reports were made, being sew
eral thousand more bills and over
1000 more reports than we're made
in the Forty-eighth Congress, which
had in its turn beaten the record.
In the Senate there were introduced
1857 bills and 118 joint resolutions,
on which 1888 written reports were
made, being upward of 500 more
bills and over 400 more reports
than in the record-breaking Forty>
eighth Congress.
The total number of laws enacted
was approximately 1431, of (which
1893 originated in the House and
336 in the Senate. Ofthese 264 be-
came laws by the expiration of the
constitutional ten days limitation.
Fifty bills failed to become laws
owing to the adjournment of Con>
gress, nine of them at the close of
the first session. There were 1872
bills vetoed by the President, or 81
more instances of the exercise of the
Presidential veto than had occurred
from the foundation of the Govern
ment down to the beginning of this
Congress. Of the vetoed bills ninety
three originated in the House and
thirty>nine in the Senate. But one
private bill, VIZ, that granting
pension to Joseph Romiser, and one
public bill, namely, that providing
Tor the erection of a Government
building at Dayton, Ohio, succeeded
in passing both Houses over the
Presidents veto, although several
others obtained the requisite two
thirds vote in the Senate, only to
fall in the House.
The regular appropriation bills
which failed of enactment were the
Fortifcations bill for both Cons
crosses, the River and Harbor bill
of the present session (Which was
not signed by the President) and the
Deficiency bill Con which the con-
ference report was not submitted in
time for action). The failure of the
Fortifcations bill was due to deci-
ded differences of opinion between
the conferrees of theltwo houses.
Fifty bills in addition to those
which became laws and those vetoed
were sent to the President, but were
"poeketed" by him on the adiourn~
ment of Congress, and therefore fail
ed. The more important in addi-
ton to the bills named above are as
follows. Relative to promotion in
the Medical Corps, U. S. A.. to pre-
vent the employment of convict and
alien labor on public works f.; to open
to settlement the public land strip
south of Kansas; the O'Neill Labor
bill for the settlement of
controversies between interstate
railroads and their employees, and
Morrison surplus resolution. Sey~
eral bills of minor importance failed
of enrolment in the haste incident
to the closing of Congress, and
therefore failed of enactment.